Fumiaki Hoshino is one of the longest political prisoners in the world. Hehelped organize a protest in November 14, 1971 against the "OkinawaReversion Agreement" which helped allow the US to base nuclear weapons inOkinawa. A policeman and women trade unionist were killed and he wasframed up and charged with the murder. He has been in jail underrepressive conditions for over 37 years. A US support committee has beenorganized to demand his freedom and will be having a press conference andpicket and will demand that the Japanese government release himimmediately.

Dear Friends,On November 27, we will hold a National Rally to free Fumiaki Hoshino inTokyo. Please send your solidarity message to the rally.Fumiaki Hoshino is an innocent political prisoner fighting behind bars for37 years—one of the longest detained political prisoners of the world. TheJapanese prison system is extremely oppressive: most of his friends cannotvisit him.On November 14, 1971, Fumiaki Hoshino led one of the student contingentsof the demonstration against so-called “Okinawa Reversion Agreement”,which in reality helped maintain the US military bases with nucleararsenal in Okinawa. One of the riot policemen died during the crash withdemonstrators. Hoshino was framed as “the perpetrator”; the prosecutiondemanded death penalty, the courts sentenced to life imprisonment.He is innocent. There is no physical evidence whatsoever. Only the“depositions of the six demonstrators” made in closed interrogation roomsin the police stations were the “evidence of guilt.” Five of theeyewitnesses recanted, claiming police and prosecution coercion. Remainingone refused to testify in the open courts. On top of it, the police “lost”the videotape of the demonstration, in which Hoshino’s contingent hadparticipated.Hoshino filed an application for retrial based on newly discovered photosthat clearly contradict his alleged involvement in the death of thepoliceman.A broad coalition of labor unions, other organizations and individuals arenow increasing their efforts to free Hoshino.International solidarity is also developing. Last July, we were given anopportunity to hold two events in San Francisco LaborFest: “Hoshino ArtShow” and “Labor & Political prisoners: From Hoshino To Mumia.”The National Coordinating Center of Labor Unions—an organization ofmilitant labor unions and labor activists in Japan—decided to show itssolidarity with Hoshino, holding its annual convention next February inTokushima City near the Tokushima Prison where Hoshino is detained.Please send your solidarity message to the November 27 rally. It willgreatly help free Hoshino.Thank you so much in advance.In Solidarity,Hoshino Defense Committeehttp://fhoshino.u.cnet-ta.ne.jp/pages/ayumi110811.htmlhttp://fhoshino.u.cnet-ta.ne.jp/Send Message Of Solidarity tok_kanayama19711114 [at] yahoo.co.jp

Brothers and Sisters, thank you for your struggles in your workplaces andcommunities.Hoshino Fumiaki is an innocent political prisoner in Tokushima Prison. Hehas spent 36 years in detention. He appeals, “Workers who produceeverything and run the society have the power to smash enemy attacks,transform workplaces and whole society, get back all the properties fromcapitalists and emancipate all human beings. Get back the power of labormovement, free the anger of all of workers and people! Build unity of allworkers and people across the borders!”

On November 14, 1971, Fumiaki took part in the demonstration in Shibuya,Tokyo, against the ratification of the Agreement on the Reversion ofOkinawa, which was strengthening of war efforts, especially thereorganization and enhancement of the US military bases in Okinawa. Thesecret pact on nuclear weapons was also included in the Agreement.

During the course of the demonstration, one riot policeman died and thepolice framed up and charged Fumiaki on criminal homicide. Also theSupreme Court sentenced him life imprisonment.

I married with him in 1986 while he was in prison. Since then I have beenliving and struggling together with Fumiaki against Japanese inhumaneprison system, which prohibits even a minimal human contact: I cannottouch his hands.

Fumiaki did not engaged in the death of the riot policeman. He isinnocent. The police framed and arrested many students who hadparticipated the demonstration and forced them to “confess” the “crime” ofHoshino. In the open court five of the six students who “confessed”,withdrew their “testimonies.” Remaining one student refused to testifyaltogether. Nevertheless the court admitted the “confession” in a closedinterrogation room as evidence and rejected the testimonies in the opencourt.

The first application for retrial was refused. The Supreme Court, however,admitted that Fumiaki wore at the time “light blue clothes” instead of“biscuit clothes” which was the previous story of the framed up sentences.

We filed second application for retrial on November 27, last year.

The Tokushima Prison has punished Fumiaki two times, in order to obstructour movement for retrial. Seven of his friend were refused to visit him.My letters were censored and partially erased four times. Even the wife ofthe prisoner, myself was prohibited to visit him. And the prisonmanagement “consider lawyers’ visits general visits and limit the time andthe prison officers watch on the side of the lawyers.

We will file a lawsuit under national redress law. Protests from aroundthe world are surely very effective. Please send protest and encouragementletters to the government and to Fumiaki. He himself said that his task isto encourage everyone.

In 1971, many workers and students in mainland Japan rose up for Okinawastruggle at the risk of their own lives. The life imprisonment of Fumiakiwas retaliation against this historic struggle. This is also an exemplarypunishment on Fumiaki who continues the struggles of 1970 and createstoday’s Okinawa and anti- Anpo (Japan US Security Alliance) struggles inprison. Furthermore, the oppression against Fumiaki is meant to destroythe struggles of workers and people including Doro-Chiba outside theprison.

Smash the divide and conquer policy! Take back Hoshino Fumiaki with thepower of international solidarity. Please support us to free my belovedhusband, Fumiaki, and to corner the Kan administration of DemocraticParty. Please join the national rally for free Hoshino.

Let’s take back political prisoners of the world, including Mumia AbuJamal, with international solidarity!

All workers, fight together across borders! Fight back together againstcapitalists who shift blames of global financial meltdown to workers!Let’s organize the Nation-wide Movement of National Railway Struggle andcreate a perspective for workers to live our own lives!

Urgent appeal to all working people of the worldFree innocent HOSHINO Fumiaki from 35 years’ imprisonment

March 2010

Free Hoshino! National Coordinating Conference for Retrial

(1) Who is brother HOSHINO Fumiaki and how he has been fightingBrotherHOSHINO Fumiaki, an innocent political prisoner, has spent 35 years inincarceration. He has been fighting an unflinching and uncompromisingstruggle against the state power, refusing every attempt to convert him.Brother Hoshino puts the principle of his struggle as follows: “Hoshinostruggle is one and same as the struggle of working class foremancipation” He is a revolutionary who is fighting for the emancipationof working class from capitalism in death agony of the global economiccrisis.

He was born on April 27, 1946 in Sapporo, Hokkaido and now 63 years old.

US military bases in Okinawa

In the great Okinawa struggle on November 14, 1971, as a student ofTakasaki City University of Economics, he assumed a leading role inorganizing demonstration. During violent clashes between demonstrators andpolice, 313 demonstrators were arrested and a woman education worker ofOsaka, one of the demonstrators, was killed and a riot police was dead.Successively on November 19, Okinawa struggle was fought across thecountry with over 1900 demonstrators arrested.

As an apparent retaliation for the explosive development of Okinawastruggle, police unduly incriminated brother Hoshino, who stood at theforefront of the battle with riot police, as suspect of killing apoliceman. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and is in prison. He isnow filing the second application for retrial.

(2) Okinawa struggle and brother Hoshino

Okinawa was put under direct Japanese domination in 1609 and has sincebeen suffering under discrimination and oppression by Japanese government.In World War II, as an outcome of the intensified strife among imperialistpowers after the Great Depression in 1929, Okinawa people were brutallyvictimized.

After World War II, Okinawa was treated as a matter of interests of US andJapanese governments and finally was delivered to US militaryadministration by Emperor Hirohito who proposed, by his letter to the US,to offer Okinawa instead of his life. Thus Okinawa was forced to liveunder US military domination for 27 years. The life in Okinawa duringthese years was full of humiliation, deprived of sovereignty, human prideand also lands to live on and sometimes even lives were threatened.

Furious at this situation, people in Okinawa vigorously fought against USoppression, demanding, “return to Japan”. The US military base in Okinawawas seriously shaken by the insistent struggle comprising the wholepopulation of Okinawa.

Faced with this mounting anger of people of Okinawa, Japanese and USgovernments decided, in 1971, to return administrative right to Japan onlyto maintain the present situation of Okinawa as “island of US bases”forever, averting the demand of the inhabitants of Okinawa. People ofOkinawa responded to the deceptive return of Okinawa to Japan by a generalstrike of whole Okinawa on November 10, 1971.

Japanese government, firmly determined to ratify the Okinawa ReturnAgreement in the Diet, prohibited all rallies and demonstrations in Tokyoto suppress protest actions against the Okinawa policy. On November 14,militant demonstrators headed by brother Hoshino, defying the ban, crushedthe cordon of the riot police that attacked demonstrators with tear-gasgun and marched to join tens of thousands of sympathizing masses of peoplein Shibuya, downtown Tokyo. The battle continued until midnight. .

The Shibuya battle was a powerful struggle, carried out, in solidaritywith fighting people in Okinawa, by young workers and students, of whom313 were arrested on the spot, against the discriminating policy ofJapanese government.

The government was violently shaken by the explosive struggle of angryworking people and feared that it would develop into a serious threat toJapan-US Security Alliance. They resorted to retaliation by chargingbrother Hoshino, one of the prominent leaders of the demonstration, forallegation of killing a riot policeman, knowing very well that he wasinnocent.

The state power demanded death sentence but this attempt was crushed bythe strong protest action by wide range of people led by workers. Aftercourt proceedings in three instances, in which the state power desperatelytried to retaliate brother Hoshino, the sentence of life imprisonment wasdetermined in 1987. It is a political attempt of intimidating fightingpeople.

(3) Brother Hoshino is innocent

Brother Fumiaki Hoshino has been consistently insisting upon his innocencefor 35 years since his arrest. This is the strongest proof of hisinnocence.

Only evidence of guilt was fabricated “affidavits” of six witnesses whoparticipated in the student demonstration, including three minors. Thereis no physical evidence to prove him guilty. They testified in the trialthat their affidavits were made under the pressure of the interrogators inan isolated room for a long duration and that their statements were forgeddocuments.

Though all affidavits of the six witnesses proved to be invalid in thetrial, the Tokyo High Court sentenced brother Hoshino to lifeimprisonment. This is an unusual and outrageous deed of Japanese juridicalauthorities. An appeal for retrial raised by brother Hoshino was dismissedon July 14, 2008 by the Supreme Court with an implausible reasoning thatis completely illogical.

To overturn this, brother Hoshino and the defense council for the retrialfiled an application for retrial for the second time on November 27, 2009with new evidences including 27 items.

The statement of the second application for retrial clarifies that thesentence of life imprisonment on brother Hoshino is a hundred percentpolitical frame-up by the security agency.

After the Shibuya struggle in 1971, police conducted, with a presumptionthat overwhelming majority of the demonstrators was workers, overallarrests, investigations and interrogations of workers who were regarded tohave participated in the demonstration of Shibuya battle for more than twomonths in vain.

The security police, driven into a corner, targeted the investigation onbrother Hoshino, conspicuous leader of the demonstration, and the fellowstudents of his university in Gunma Prefecture and forced indiscriminatingmass arrests of those students. Finally police decided to set up brotherHoshino.

The new evidences consist of three points: a) A photo taken by policeduring the demonstration shows that the iron pipe which brother Hoshinocarried after the “incident” had no trace of damage (he is accused ofbeating the policeman by the iron pipe); b) Another photo of brotherHoshino standing at crossroad long away from the “spot” of the incident,c) the third photo, showing a demonstrator wearing biscuit clothes, thatcoincides with the deposition of one of the witnesses that “One of thedemonstrators who beat the policeman wore biscuit clothes” (brotherHoshino wore “sky blue” clothes on that day, which even the Supreme Courtwas compelled to recognize)

(4) “Free Hoshino” movement

“Free Hoshino” movement has been developed by progressive labor unions andcitizens to protest against the political frame-up on brother Hoshino whowas sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. Now more than 20 supportorganizations have been organized all over Japan through a devoted effortof sister Akiko, who got married with brother Hoshino in prison.BrotherHoshino is calling on working people all over the world to rise up for thestruggle of self-emancipation now. He is encouraged by the development ofthe struggle of angry workers in face of the global economic crisis.

If we resolutely rise up now, we can overturn the bitter history of defeatthat working people experienced in the period that started from the GreatDepression in 1929 and ended up in the disaster of World War II. This is avoice of brother Hoshino who continues his unflinching struggle in prisonfor 35 years.

We are firmly convinced that the struggle to free innocent brother Hoshinoand the struggle of working class of the world for self-emancipation isone and the same.

Brother Hoshino is watching the struggle of brother Mumia Abu-Jamal andthe movement to support him with deep sympathy and admiration.

We call on the working people of the whole world to help us take backbrother Hoshino as soon as possible in our arms in solidarity with theKorean workers fighting against the repression of the state power and allthe political prisoners against tyranny and persecution.

Working people all over the world! Let’s fight together to free allpolitical prisoners as our own task!

A short biography

1945 April.27: Born in Sapporo City, Hokkaido

1965: Enters Takasaki City University of Economics, elected asvice-president of the Student Autonomous Body and fought againstirregularity of the entrance examination

1971: Placed on the wanted list for the struggle in Sanrizuka against theNarita airport construction

1971 Nov.14: Joins the Struggle against ratification of the Agreement onthe Reversion of Okinawa (the “Battle of Shibuya”). One policeman burnedto death during the clash with demonstrators.

1975: Arrested.

1979: Demanded death penalty. First trial. Sentenced to 20-year imprisonment

1983: Appeal Court. Sentenced to life imprisonment.

1986 Sep.17: Married with Akiko.

1987 Jul. 17: Final appeal dismissed. Life imprisonment decided.

Oct. 30: Sent to Tokushima Prison.

1996: The first application for a new trial.

2007: Publication of “FumiAkiko”, a joint work of drawings of brotherFumiaki Hoshino and poems of sister Akiko Hoshino

2008 Jul.14: Supreme Court dismisses the raised special complaint.

2009 Nov. 27: Files second application for a new trial.Appendex: New Evidences Clearly Show Hoshino’s Innocence

New Evidence 1

His iron pipe has no trace of damage — Comrade Hoshino in front of theTokyu Head Shop.

Figure 1 (Evidence for the Defense No. 16) is a macro photograph ofComrade Hoshino from a picture taken shortly after the demonstratorsarrived in front of the Tokyu Head Shop, passing the site where thepoliceman in question was beaten. It clearly shows that the iron pipecarried by Comrade Hoshino has no trace of damage.

The iron pipe in the hand of Comrade Hoshino, was wrapped by a piece ofpaper. If this pipe had been used to beat the policeman, the paper shouldhave been ripped or torn apart. The paper rolled on the iron pipe carriedby him was not at all damaged — that means that it was never used to beatthe policeman. The accusation that comrade Hoshino beat the policeman is acomplete fabrication. It is evidently proved by this picture.

New Evidence 2

His statement of witnessing reflection of light on the windshields atKamiyama East Crossing verified

Comrade Hoshino has maintained for 35 years that he was at Kamiyama EastCrossing at the moment of question, but not at the site where thepoliceman was beaten. . “When I looked up, at the crossing, toward the NHKbuilding (standing at a certain distance from there),” he said, “I sawcars running from the direction of the NHK building and their windshieldswere shining.”

The weather was cloudy, and it was an hour before the sunset. Nobody everimagined that windshields would shine, reflecting light. The defense teammade an investigation at the crossing following Comrade Hoshino’s demand,and did verify that the windshields of cars were reflecting lights underthe similar condition. This fact could only be learned by a person whostood on at that particular crossing, on that particular day, at thatparticular time; it corresponds to what you call “revelation of secret.”

Figure 2 (Evidence for the Defense No. 7) was taken shortly before 3:23p.m. on November 14 this year. On that day it was cloudy and lightrainfall in the morning had just stopped; although it seemed to becloudier than at the time of the incident, the defense was able to verifythe “windshields of running cars were reflecting light” and tookphotographs of these facts.

He had to be at the crossing

Comrade Hoshino was the commander of about 200 demonstrators who got offat Yoyogi-Hachiman, a nearby railway station to Shibuya, the battlefield.After the first battle in front of Kamiyama Police Box, he was obliged tostay at the head of demonstrators in order to reorganize the ranks ofdemonstrators. He ran, and stopped when no other demonstrator was ahead ofhim— it was the Kamiyama East Crossing there.

To keep a lookout on every direction, watching the possible move of riotpolice attacking from any direction, and to wait for other demonstrators’arrival to continue the battle— that was the only concern of ComradeHoshino at the crossing. He soon saw the riot police approaching from thedirection of NHK building. Tension mounted, and the road was filled withdemonstrators. “Move on!” he shouted, and left there.

It was the event of 40-50 seconds from the capture of the policeman inquestion to the departure. During that time, Comrade Hoshino could not anddid not leave the crossing. There he learned the approach of riot policefrom the direction of NHK building and saw the reflected light on thewindshields of running cars. If he had been at the site where thepoliceman was beaten, he could not have seen those things.

New Evidence 3

“HE wore biscuit clothes” — Witness Kr. did not really see him

Witness Kr. stated that “One of the demonstrators who beat the policemanwore biscuit clothes” consistently from the questioning to the trial. Asis evident also from the released depositions of two third persons whowitnessed the scene of beating the policeman — Witness Ab. and Witness Fk.both witnesses referred to the man who wore “ocher work suit” or “beigethin coat” as the most impressive person on the scene of beating. Bothexpressions are close to “biscuit” color.

Contrary to the Supreme Court, Witness Kr. did not see Comrade Hoshino whowore the “washy blue” clothes and took its color into “biscuit.”

Figure 3 (Evidence for the Defense No. 12) was taken by Photographer Ut.,who belonged to the Photograph Department of the Asahi Shimbun at thattime, and another picture taken also by him in the vicinity of Figure 3was placed in The Weekly Asahi (December 3, 1971).

This picture took from the front the demonstrators who confronted riotpolice forming a line in front of Kamiyama Police Box.

This picture clearly shows that the demonstrators included a man who wore“biscuit” clothes.

Comrade Hoshino was wearing “sky blue (washy blue)” clothes on that day,which even the Supreme Court was compelled to recognize. Although thecolor of his clothes was bright and impressive while the most otherclothes were dark, neither third-person witnesses — Ab. and Fk. — nor six“fellows in crime” have stated that the “strikers” included a person whowore the “sky blue” clothes.

Break the Chains.info

is a news and discussion forum for supporters of political prisoners, prisoners of war, politicized social prisoners, and victims of police and state intimidation.

This blog is organized and updated autonomously of the disbanded Break the Chains Prisoner Support Network formerly based in Eugene, Oregon. While this online project shares several of the same concerns as the old Break the Chains collective, no formal organization exists behind the current web presence.

"I will never surrender my pride and dignity nor allow the system to 'cut my tongue' and I will always, without fear, speak out against these war crimes and crimes against humanity, no matter if I spend the rest of my life in a prison cage, and draw my last breath of air laying down in this steel bed surrounded by razor-wire fences and cages, and its prison policies that are designed to destroy one's humanity…."